From a distance they resemble stuffed toys – adorable balls of fluff cocooned in brightly coloured knitted coats.
However, these cute baby goats are 100% real – and they live in Angus.
The kids belong to enterprising farming couple Jillian and Neil McEwan who in November started selling the first cashmere produced in Scotland for 30 years.
And yes, you guessed it, the supersoft fibre comes from the downy undercoat of their goats.
Jillian and Neil run Lunan Bay Farm, in the shadow of the crumbling ruins of Red Castle, and their latest ‘Goat Coat’ project has seen them inundated with donations of cosy jackets for their newborn goats.
“In preparation for our busy kidding season, which runs until April, we put out a request for knitters to create coats for our newborn goat kids,” says Jillian.
“We did that in late autumn when we launched our first batch of homegrown Scottish cashmere – hand-combed from our cashmere Goats here at Lunan Bay.
“The reward for their efforts was the opportunity to win some of our cashmere yarn, and the chance to view our cute kids sporting their hand-knitted creations online.”
Keeping cosy
In the past, Jillian’s mum and aunties knitted coats to keep smaller newborn goats cosy, especially tiny triplets or premature kids which really need some extra warmth.
Over the winter months, Jillian and Neil were sent hundreds of gorgeous garments, plus a few local knitters dropped them in to the farm in person.
“We were overwhelmed by the response!” beams Jillian.
“So far we’ve received 350 goat coats, and we’re expecting 180 newborns this season.
“That just means that many of the goats will now have a choice of outfit!
“We were bowled over by the array of creative and unique designs. Some knitters used natural wool from native breed sheep, such as North Ronaldsay, while others used super-soft bamboo.
“Some furnished their coats with goat-themed designs – we even got one displaying ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’.
“It’s revealed the wealth of talented crafters in our local and wider community, and the love they have for goats!”
As the kidding season progresses, Lunan Bay Farm shares its cute kids’ antics daily on social media.
They plan to offer public visits to the kidding shed in April, once all the newborns have arrived.
Tickets will be released for the experiences later in the month.
LUXURY FASHION
It’s a hugely exciting time for Jillian and Neil.
Not long after their first yarn went on sale in November, their cashmere attracted the attention of luxury LA-based fashion and lifestyle brand, The Elder Statesman, although they had to keep this a secret until this month.
The US brand – whose cardigans and jumpers can retail at around £3,000 – just launched a range of handcrafted cashmere socks using Lunan Bay Farm’s highly prized, homegrown cashmere.
The associated photoshoot for the campaign was shot and filmed at Lunan Bay, featuring Jillian and her cashmere goats alongside Elder Statesman models.
“Neil and I are extremely proud that our dream of producing ethical and eco-friendly Scottish cashmere grown in Scotland has come to fruition,” says Jillian.
“We’re over the moon that esteemed cashmere designers, The Elder Statesman (TES), selected our fibre for their sock range.”
“Members of TES team and the creative direction agency, Studio Untitled, joined us on the farm for a photoshoot to promote their new sock range and other cashmere garments.
“A highlight was observing our cashmere girls sporting TES’s luxury cashmere scarves, being photographed by top photographer, Ivar Wigan, on Lunan Bay beach, just as a rainbow appeared.”
The socks are already flying off the shelves, with one range selling out within just a few days of launch.
Cosy cashmere
Cashmere is a special, very cosy, and pricey fibre, and no surprise because the work that goes into sourcing tiny amounts of cashmere, known as the “golden fleece”, is vastly time-consuming.
“The goats are all hand-combed – that can only happen at certain times, when they are casting,” says Jillian.
“The guard hairs need to be separated from the cashmere, and it can take a few months to get enough fibre from three to five goats to make just one jumper.
“It’s eight times warmer than wool and unbelievably light and fine. That’s why it’s so precious.
“The goats only produce between 100 and 250g of fibre a year, just a handful.”
- For more information see lunanbayfarm.com
